Chapter 42: The First Charcoal Burning Results

Yan Lao’er believed he had fully grasped the charcoal-making method from the third bamboo slip, but when it came to actual operation, he still found himself in a bit of a mess.

According to the instructions on the bamboo slip, he needed to dig eight ventilation holes at the bottom. Once the flames at the top were burning, he had to carefully observe the holes below and seal any that showed signs of fire with mud.

In reality, the first issue arose at the top of the mound. The intense heat caused the soil to crack, and the fissures were growing larger by the moment. Yan Lao’er was troubled and hurriedly took out the bamboo slip to study its illustrations more carefully.

The illustrations were simple line drawings made with ink, and their clarity was naturally limited. Being able to understand the general idea was already a testament to the artist’s skill.

Since he couldn’t fully decipher them, Yan Lao’er resorted to the simplest solution—applying more mud to the mound.

He had no choice; if the cracks widened further, the entire structure would collapse.

The Qi brothers initially thought this whole process was unreliable, but the moment Yan Lao’er pulled out the bamboo slip, the three of them fell silent and followed his instructions to the letter.

Watching Yan Lao’er holding the bamboo slip with a furrowed brow, they instinctively felt a sense of awe.

For the first time, they had the feeling of participating in something significant.

By the time Yan Lao’er finally spotted firelight in the ventilation holes below, the sky had already turned completely dark.

They systematically sealed all eight lower holes and then carefully covered the large top vent with river mud.

Yan Lao’er forcefully dragged the Qi brothers, who insisted on keeping watch, away from the site.

Qi Da was still trying to argue, but Qi Si, the sharpest of the three, seemed to realize something. He helped Yan Lao’er pull their older and younger brothers away from the charcoal mound.

“Fourth Brother, why are you dragging me? This place is remote, but what if some wild animals come by and mess things up? No, I’m going to stay and keep watch,” Qi Wu insisted.

Yan Lao’er seemed too exhausted to argue, so Qi Wu decided to go by himself. If the charcoal really turned out well, he could just carry it back himself. Yes, he should bring a couple of sacks.

Qi Da didn’t argue either—he preferred actions over words.

“Big Brother, Fifth Brother, think about it. Didn’t you see the bamboo book Yan Lao’er took out? The charcoal-making method is written in it! Most families pass down their craft by word of mouth, but if it’s written down in a book…”

Qi Si’s voice was filled with meaning.

“Think about it. Isn’t that incredibly rare? Incredibly valuable?”

He continued, “Everything so far hasn’t been that crucial, but the key parts are probably coming up. Maybe Yan Lao’er just doesn’t want us watching… Can’t you two use your heads?”

His arms were sore from dragging them.

“Huh?” Qi Wu was stunned. “That’s what this is about?”

He slapped his thigh as realization dawned. “Right! My master has always treated his woodworking blueprints like treasure. He won’t even let us glance at them. He says he’ll only pass them down to whoever takes care of him in old age.”

Qi Wu knew he wasn’t smart or fast at learning, so he had no chance of inheriting his master’s skills. If he could sneak a few peeks at those blueprints, he’d already consider himself lucky.

Qi Da nodded solemnly. “Then we can’t go.”

Qi Si, feeling clever, added, “Not only should we stay away, but we should also keep others from coming over to snoop.”

Unbeknownst to them, the Qi brothers had inadvertently helped Yan Lao’er immensely.

Meanwhile, Yan Lao’er was reporting his progress to his elder brother, preparing to check on the charcoal mound.

“Where did you learn how to make charcoal?” Yan Huaiwen asked.

“I came across it by chance, just by chance,” Yan Lao’er replied evasively. He had no intention of showing his brother the third bamboo slip, lest he have to explain why there were more volumes appearing one after another.

“If you want to do it, give it a try,” Yan Huaiwen agreed.

Yan Lao’er’s reasoning was compelling—once they reached the northern regions, he could sell charcoal to support the family.

By the time they arrived in Guanzhou, the weather would be turning cold. If he could master charcoal-making, it could become a profitable trade.

After Yan Lao’er left, Li Xuemei, calculating the time, approached her eldest brother-in-law with concern.

She mentioned that her husband hadn’t returned yet and might end up spending the night at the site. She had packed some things and wanted to bring them to him.

Embarrassed, she also admitted that Yan Lao’er had been working hard lately. She wanted to take the opportunity to cook something nourishing for him while away from the group.

Since she had quite a bit to carry, she asked if she could take the ox along, planning to load the finished charcoal on its back for the return trip.

Yan Huaiwen had no objections. In fact, he even kindly reminded his sister-in-law to take care of herself and not skimp on food. He subtly hinted that she should prepare something extra for him as well.

After informing Da Ya, Li Xuemei quietly left the group with Yan Yu and the ox.

—

Yan Lao’er was waiting on the road when he spotted the outline of the ox from a distance. His face split into a grin.

He eagerly ran forward to greet them, cheerfully leading the way.

“It’s just ahead.”

When they arrived at the charcoal-making site, Yan Lao’er touched the soil mound—it was still warm.

He rubbed his hands together. “It’s my first time doing this. I don’t know if it’ll work.”

Li Xuemei spread out a small mat on the ground and untied the charcoal container from Sanbao’s back.

“Whether it works or not, we’ll find out soon enough. If it doesn’t work the first time, we’ll try a second or third. We’ll figure it out eventually.”

She then laid out a bundle of straw sandals.

“There are thirty-seven pairs here—exactly half.

“You wouldn’t believe how fast they worked! This is after keeping some for the families to use. Now, almost everyone in the village is wearing these straw sandals… except for our eldest brother.”

“Big Brother just isn’t used to them,” Yan Lao’er said. “I like them—cool and lightweight. But wife, you need to improve your craftsmanship. Look, my toes are already poking out.”

Yan Lao’er lifted his foot to show her.

Li Xuemei glanced at it, then casually pulled a few strands of grass from the nearby bushes and quickly patched up the hole.

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t pretty—as long as the hole was closed.

When Yan Lao’er judged that enough time had passed, he dug into the mound.

The results of their first charcoal burn lay before them.

Yan Yu poked at the pile with a stick. “Why are some pieces only half-burned?”

The small pile of charcoal was much less than the amount of wood they had put in.

Charcoal-making always involved some loss, but good technique could minimize it.

Yan Lao’er examined the results carefully. “These unfinished pieces seem to be the ones at the edges. Maybe the mud covering them kept them from burning properly?

“The ones in the middle burned too much and turned to ash…”

“The heat wasn’t distributed evenly,” Li Xuemei summarized. “Something must still be off.”

The low charcoal yield was expected, but the uneven burning was a technical issue.

“You did great for your first time, Dad! No one gets it perfect on the first try,” Yan Yu encouraged, pumping her little fists.

Yan Lao’er grinned. “Heh, I have to admit, making charcoal is pretty fun. Next time, I’ll bring you along.”

Yan Yu nodded eagerly.

Li Xuemei gathered the poorly burned pieces, stuffed them into the charcoal container, and added a handful of dry grass. Without even lighting a match, she simply blew on it a few times, and smoke began rising.

Yan Lao’er hurried over, blowing hard, then quickly added a few twigs. The fire grew brighter.

Yan Yu placed a small clay pot filled with water on top.

The family of three exchanged looks—they worked well together.

They smiled at each other.